


Just Like Starting Over

by eerian_sadow



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Community: tf_speedwriting, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-02
Updated: 2010-06-02
Packaged: 2018-05-17 18:59:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5881969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerian_sadow/pseuds/eerian_sadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Decepticon saboteur brings Wheeljack's morale to an all time low.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Like Starting Over

**Author's Note:**

> for the fourth prompt at tf_speedwriting. 
> 
> Prompt: Optimist sees donut. Pessimist just sees hole.  
> 

He sighed as he took in the remains of his lab. It was an utter shambles. All of his projects were destroyed, his workbench was just… gone and the back wall had a hole the size of Grimlock punched cleanly through the center. The door into the main hallway had also been destroyed when he’d gone flying backward through it, though at the time that hadn’t been a concern at all.

It still baffled him that the Decepticons would go to all the trouble of sabotaging his lab when most of the projects inside weren’t even related to the war-effort.

“Hey,” Ratchet said, placing a consoling hand on his shoulder. “It could have been a lot worse. You still have all your schematics saved on that backup in the medbay and we can rebuild the lab.”

“It’s not just the lab, Ratchet.” Wheeljack shook his head. “This was my life.”

“No, this was your work.” Ratchet reached up and turned the other mech’s face toward him. “Your life is still right here. Everything else can be rebuilt.”

Wheeljack broke away from his friend and walked numbly to a blackened, buckled section of the wall. “The projects that were here? Those were older than Prowl. I started some of them while I was still in the academy. It isn’t just stuff, Ratch. It’s memories and experiences and things I can’t ever repeat.”

“I do understand that, Jack.” The medic followed his friend and pulled him into a hug. “But it’s still just material stuff in the end. You are so much more valuable than that. _You_ , not your projects or your works in progress or things that are waiting for the final test run.”

The engineer was silent for a long moment. “It just… It hurts. How do I even start again?”

“Well, first I think we need to get out of here and get some air.” Ratchet put an arm around Wheeljack’s shoulders and steered him toward the door. “Then we get the twins to finish cleaning up in here and ask Grapple and Hoist to come measure that hole to put a door in that wall. I know you and Perceptor have been wanting easier access to the outside; this is the perfect chance.”

“But—“  
“Then you pick a project and we go into town, to that little electronics place you like so much and buy some components. Prowl’s already cleared it as a needed expense.” Ratchet smiled. “This is just a fresh start, Jack—but with all the knowledge and experience you didn’t have when you were younger.”

“Thanks, Ratch.” Wheeljack still felt tired and depressed, but it wasn’t characterized by so much utter despair now. He might just be able to go on after all. “What would I do without you?”

“Let’s not find out.”  



End file.
